Why Psychodynamic?

A chair, a lamp and an psychoanalytic couch int he consulting room

Psychodynamic therapy is interested in the whole person, not only the difficulty that brings you to therapy. It looks at how you experience yourself and the people around you, and how the two are connected. The way we see ourselves often shapes our relationships, and our relationships, in turn, shape how we see ourselves.

Many therapies aim to reduce symptoms by teaching new techniques for managing them. Psychodynamic psychotherapy starts from a different place. It treats anxiety, low mood or difficulties in relationships not only as problems to be removed, but as communications: signs that something important is asking to be understood.

Many of us find ourselves repeating the same patterns. We are drawn into similar relationships, end up in familiar conflicts, or feel the same way again without knowing why. Psychodynamic therapy is interested in where these patterns come from and what keeps them going, including feelings and beliefs we may not be fully aware of.

There is no how-to manual, no agenda and no formula. The aim is a deeper understanding of yourself that continues to make a difference after therapy has ended. Research supports this: studies have found that the benefits of psychodynamic therapy tend to last, and often keep growing, after treatment finishes.

It may suit you if:

you want to understand why things keep happening, not only how to cope with them
you notice the same patterns recurring in your life or relationships
you have tried other approaches and found that difficulties come back
you would value a space to think, rather than a structured programme

Open-ended therapy

Psychodynamic therapy has no fixed number of sessions. We meet at the same time each week for as long as the work feels useful. For many people this means a year or more, sometimes several years. When and how to end is something we think about and decide together.

The aim is not a quick fix, but a lasting change in how you understand and accept yourself. This happens through a particular kind of relationship which, over time, can allow a degree of openness and honesty that is hard to find elsewhere in daily life.

In some ways it resembles a close relationship: I come to know you well, and you may come to know yourself in new ways. But it is not a friendship. The attention stays on you and your mind, within a professional and confidential setting.

Feelings and beliefs we are not fully aware of inevitably find their way into therapy, including into the relationship with me as your therapist. Rather than only talking about difficulties, we can notice and understand them as they happen in the room. This is often where the most meaningful change takes place.

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Psychoanalytic psychotherapy: training placements

As part of my doctoral training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the University of Exeter, I am offering a small number of places for intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy (at a reduced fee).

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a more intensive form of psychodynamic work. We meet three times a week, at the same times each week, for at least two years, in Bloomsbury, central London. Meeting more often allows the work to go deeper and gives more room to think about feelings and patterns as they arise.

My work is closely supervised by a senior psychoanalytic psychotherapist supervisor approved by the University of Exeter. Everything you bring is treated confidentially. Anonymised material from our work may be discussed in supervision and contribute to my training; we would discuss this fully and agree on it with you before we begin.

This may suit you if you are looking for in-depth therapy and can commit to regular sessions over a longer period. If you are interested, please get in touch to arrange an initial consultation, during which we can discuss together whether this is right for you.

Sessions are available on Monday morning, Tuesday afternoon, and Thursday morning; other times may be available.

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